Another Knock on the Head
by lady angst
Summary: Did you ever notice how often Will Turner gets knocked out?  As he wakes up from another painful hit to the head, he reminisces about several such instances.
1. Part One

**Another Knock on the Head**

**By Lady Angst**

**Beta: Miss Aconite**

**Spoilers: Yes, to all three movies.**

**Summary: Did you ever notice how often Will Turner gets knocked out? As he wakes up from another painful hit to the head, he reminisces about several such instances.**

**Angst/General, a bit AU, but nothing outlandish**

**Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean is owned by Disney**

**Part One**

_I am unconscious entirely too often, _thought Will Turner as he woke, yet again, with a splitting headache.

Will had grown somewhat used to waking up this way. He could hardly remember a time when being knocked unconscious was not a fairly regular occurrence in his life. _Though_, he thought wryly,_ that could be because of all the hits to my head_.

In his younger days, Will had thought that he must have an extraordinarily soft skull to be knocked out so easily, but, as time went by, he realized he actually had a very hard head, and extraordinarily bad luck. As Will tried to persuade his eyes to open despite the hammering in his head, he thought back to when this dreadful trend started…

Seven-year-old Will Turner raced along the muddy path after his friends Henry and John. They beat him by a good distance to the big oak just outside of town as usual, but being much younger and scrawnier than the other two, Will had grown used to losing often and was not surprised or disappointed. When Will reached the oak, he was saddened to find that "their" tree had indeed been struck by lightning during the storm the night before. Several of the branches they often climbed, walked, and swung on were severely damaged.

"Oh no," Will murmured, struggling to hold back tears. He did not want to cry in front of the older boys, but the tree had been like a friend to him. "What are we going to do now?"

"Do?" Henry asked. "What do you mean, 'do'? It is just a bit charred is all, I am sure the branches are still fine."

"I don't think so; it looks like it got hit bad."

"Are you kidding me, Turner? This oak is a hundred years old! I bet it's survived thousands of lightning strikes! Although, if you are really concerned about our safety, then you should probably be the one to climb up, since you're so much lighter than either of us."

Little Will looked back and forth between Henry and John, knowing that no matter what he said or did, he would end up climbing the tree. It did not matter that he knew better, and it did not matter if he protested, they would get him up the tree. Finally, Will shrugged to himself and decided he could at least climb this tree on his own terms.

He had only reached the second branch up from the ground when he heard the ominous cracking sound he had be dreading. He was suddenly falling and then knew nothing but black. When he woke in his own bed, some time later, he learned that he had scared the living daylights out of John and Henry. Of course, he told their mothers that climbing the tree was entirely his idea, so neither of the boys got in any trouble. They were even commended for getting Will home and fetching the doctor so quickly. Will did not begrudge them their unearned praise though, because they never used him as a tester again.

_Not that that helped much_, Will remembered to himself. _I still managed to fall off a horse, down a small cliff, and out of a perfectly healthy tree. And then there was that incident at Andrew's birthday party. Oh well, enough reminiscing; time to wake up_.


	2. Part Two

**Another Knock on the Head**

**Part Two**

Will finally convinced his eyes to open, but immediately regretted it and shut them tight against the blinding sun directly above him. Now his headache was even worse, if that was possible. All the same, he had woken up to much worse sights than a sunny sky before…then again, he had also woken up to much better sights…

Young Will coughed on the thick black smoke and tried not to panic. He watched as the last of the pirates disembarked on the starboard side and then crept out from behind the barrel where he was hiding. He climbed down the port side of the ship, hoping that the slaughtered crew had managed to lower a long boat before the pirates struck. Even if there wasn't a boat, Will knew he had to get off the ship fast. Those fires had been lit for a reason, but before he had even made it halfway down, he heard a terrible explosion and hit the water hard.

Everything after that was a blur of fire and water. Somehow, coughing and struggling against the water and the sharp ache in the back of his head, Will managed to pull himself onto a large piece of jetsam before blacking out.

Will woke up to what would later be his favorite memory of Elizabeth, although at the time he thought she was an angel. He was vaguely aware of exchanging names and the kindness in her eyes before he lost his tentative hold on consciousness and was lost to the dark once more.

_In retrospect_, Will thought as he tried extending his other senses to gather clues about his surroundings, _I am rather surprised how much I still love Elizabeth, considering how often I have been knocked unconscious because of her somehow_.

Living in Port Royal, Will saw Elizabeth quite often, and every time he was driven to distraction. There were several instances Will was nearly run over by carriages or horses as he stopped in the middle of the street at the mere sight of her, and more than once Will ended up struck by hooves or dove out of the way onto unforgiving cobblestones and hit his head. Then there was the time he had been wrestling with some local boys he had befriended…Elizabeth turned a corner and their eyes met by chance; Will was frozen instantly in her gaze. Taking advantage of his distraction, all three boys tackled him at once with a mighty war cry. It was really just an unfortunate coincidence the only rock in the grassy lot happened to be right where his head landed.

It was always worth the headaches, embarrassment, and occasional stitches though, because he always woke to find Elizabeth leaning over him, breathless and worried, looking at him with her kind eyes. Will usually stuttered some apology and thanks, and Elizabeth would joke that it was becoming an entirely too common occurrence, and if it weren't for the blood she would think he was doing it on purpose, just to scare her. Then after he was determined to be all right, she would smile that smile at him, and then they would part again.


	3. Part Three

**Another Knock on the Head**

**Part Three**

Will finally managed to open his eyes and keep them open. He found himself lying at the base of a rocky cliff. _Hill, _he thought forcefully,_ I haven't fallen off a cliff again_. _ It's just a large, steep, rocky hill. _He looked to his right and saw glittering waves rushing up on the shore of a bright, but deserted beach. _Oh well, it's not the first time I have woken up alone_, he reminded himself, as he determined that he had no other injuries, _I will take waking up alone, uninjured on a sunny beach any day to waking up in the forge after one of Master Brown's beatings. _Will surprised himself; he hadn't thought about Master Brown—hadn't _let_ himself think about Master Brown—in years…

Will was growing up. He had finally stopped getting injured every time he saw Elizabeth, and had progressed to nothing more than a slight stutter and sweaty palms in her presence. In addition, he could make every order that Master Brown assigned him without help. He had even completed a very complex sword just the week before without making any mistakes or assistance. Will felt happy, and proud of himself for the first time in his life as he concluded another lesson in sword fighting.

"I am impressed Will!" Master Brown said as he wiped sweat from his brow, "I think I have taught you everything I know; we shall have to find someone else to take over your sword lessons now!"

Will practically glowed from the praise as they cleaned up the shop. Together, Master Brown and his apprentice walked into the night and down the street to Master Brown's home, where Missus Brown would feed them a hearty supper. That night, however, Missus Brown had not made supper. Instead, she was lying in bed, looking far too pale. Will went to fetch the doctor, and was then sent back to the shop and the back room where he lived. Will stayed awake all night, worried about his beloved Master's wife. Master Brown came in briefly the next morning to tell Will to stay at the shop; he would stay home and nurse Missus Brown back to health.

Will worked hard, diligently finishing every order and waiting patiently for Master Brown to return with news of Missus Brown's improved health, but the days went by without any word. He used his wages to buy his meals from the inn at first, but after a couple days, women from the church started showing up with baskets of food for him. Will refused to think about what the free food and sympathetic looks could possibly imply. Missus Brown, the woman who had gladly become a second mother to him, would be up and about any day now.

Late in the night of the ninth day after the missed supper, Master Brown came in to the shop. Will looked up from the work he was just finishing to see him walking unsteadily toward him.

"Master Brown?"

"She's dead, young William," he slurred, "And it was a slow death. There was no peace. Just coughing, painful, sickly death. She asked to see you at the end, but there wasn't even enough time to fetch you before she was gone. She wanted me to tell you something…goodbye, she loves you, something to that effect."

Will was paralyzed with shock. Master Brown was just inches away from his own face now, and the stench of alcohol was overwhelming.

"Did you hear me boy? She cared about you, and now she's dead, and you just stand there? What's wrong with you?" Master Brown glared at Will through blood-shot eyes, and his voice rose to a painful shout. "Don't you have anything to say? Do you have no heart? Stupid boy! Speak!"

Will struggled to find words—any words—to say. His mind struggled to interpret Master Brown's drunken ranting. Missus Brown was dead. She asked for him. She was dead.

Will stood frozen, but Master Brown was boiling with anger. He lost his patience, and slapped his dearly loved apprentice. Hard.

Before Will could even react, Master Brown hit him again, and again. His backhands became punches and kicks and his slurred speech turned into incomprehensible yelling. Will shielded himself as best he could, but refused to fight back. He was a young man, nigh full-grown, and could easily beat back this drunken, broken man, but Master Brown had been the father he never had. Master Brown was hurting, and he needed a release. Will could handle one night of pain if it helped Master Brown deal with his sorrow.

After Master Brown finally staggered out of the shop, Will stayed curled up on the floor for some time. His right eye was already swelling shut and his split lip was bleeding freely. Nothing was broken, but his entire body ached. Finally, Will picked himself up and limped to his bed. As the full impact of everything that happened finally sank in, Will couldn't hold back the sobs that racked his body.

The next morning, a very apologetic Master Brown came to the shop. Together, they attended Missus Brown's funeral. She was well loved in the community, so there were many in attendance that day. No one commented on Will's bruises.

Despite his promises, Master Brown got drunk often, and often beat Will. Over the following months, Will woke up many times lying on the floor of the empty shop. No one ever commented on Will's bruises, and Will never fought back. As time went on, Master Brown's drunken rages eventually changed into a lethargic stupor, and the beatings became less frequent, until they stopped completely.


	4. Part Four

**Another Knock on the Head**

**Part Four**

Will still felt guilty about Master Brown. He had never been able to help him out of his depression, and, even worse, Will actually felt relieved when Master Brown finally died. _No use dwelling on what is past. Master Brown is dead and I have found my real father._ _Even better, I finally woke up to Elizabeth's face again…_

It was not until years after Missus Brown's death. Will and Elizabeth were both caught up in another adventure with pirates. They were separated, but met up again on the island that sheltered Davy Jones' heart. Their joyful reunion was interrupted by a massive swordfight, however, and within hours, Will was unconscious again. Captain Jack Sparrow had been kind enough to smack him over the head with an oar; it was a miracle that his skull hadn't been cracked that time. It was worth it though, because her face was the first thing he saw.

Of course, the years and their adventures had changed them both. She was preoccupied by other worries, and his first thoughts were of his father, not of her kind eyes. He had dismissed it at the time; they really did have bigger problems. He did not realize this moment in time forecasted the problems they would soon face. He had come so close to losing her forever…

_Enough of this_, Will told himself forcefully, _None of that matters now. Elizabeth and I are together now. _They had a rocky road to their wedding (if it could be called that), and then their short-lived felicity was interrupted by his own apparent death and resurrection as the captain of the Flying Dutchman, but everything still worked out eventually. After ten long years, Calypso was so moved by Will and Elizabeth's faithfulness to each other that she released him. His father, Bill, was now the voluntary captain of theFlying Dutchmanand Will was a blacksmith again, though he occasionally sailed the sea.

_And everything is perfect. _Will turned to head home when he suddenly spotted two figures running down the path from the top of the cliff. _Hill_. His heart lifted immediately at the sight of the half-grown boy with dark hair and kind eyes rushing toward him, pulling behind him a beautiful woman with the same eyes.

"Father, you are awake! I brought mother!"

"I see that William, thank you. It was good of you to react so quickly," Will smiled proudly at his son. _My son._

"Are you well Will? William said you wouldn't wake, and I was terribly worried. Have you any injuries?" Elizabeth worriedly brushed the cut on his temple, and looked him over carefully.

"No, no, I am fine. Just another knock on the head," he smiled at her reassuringly, and she took his word for it. She knew as well as he did what a hard skull he had after all.

Will put his arms around his family, and lead them back up the cliff—_hill_—toward home. He would gladly take the headaches, embarrassment, and occasional stitches so long as he always had Elizabeth and William there when he woke up.

**The End**


End file.
